In between
by WananGN
Summary: Short moments in between Wayne's friendship/love events. Holly x Wayne centric.
1. Sand

**First meeting and first friend event**

While Holly did consider herself as a bubbly and social person, she still had problems talking to some people, for example, people like Wayne.

And it wasn't because she thought ill of him; rather, it was because of the constant attention he got from girls all around him. Holly had never been popular with guys (most likely due to her obsession with farming) but she got along with a lot of guys (again, due to her obsession with farming which made her all but lady-like) and one thing she found out was that the popular one was usually either really conceited or his fans were really, to put it lightly, unforgiving. Or both. So she had never been able to befriend someone like that, at least not without receiving a bunch of not so kind letters.

So, while Wayne hadn't given her a reason to be cautious, the girls around him were enough of a warning. She didn't think it was fair of her to avoid him because of that but she figured that she was just another girl to him, it wouldn't make a difference whether she spoke to him or not. Of course, that did not mean she outright ignored him, that would have been plain rude. She was a frequent customer of the post office as she would write letters to her family whenever she could, sometimes she would send one to Lisette as well as the girl had mentioned how much she liked receiving a postcard, so she would see him rather frequently. They would exchange pleasantries but nothing more than that.

Two weeks apart from her fist arrival, in a bright sunny day, she received a rather heart-warming letter from one of her friends who she hadn't heard from for a long time. Her heart fluttered upon hearing the news that she had settled down in a faraway town and had a farm of her own now as well. She put replying to her as her first priority as she dashed to the post office before even doing her farm work and was rather surprised to find it empty, as it would have often been swamped with girls, and with Ethan nowhere in sight. There was a strong aroma of coffee in the air, though, and the sound of low humming.

"Um, hello?" She called out. The humming stopped and silence hung in the air now making Holly feel even more self-conscious. She heard some shuffling and then Wayne appeared from the swing door on the right.

His hat wasn't even on as he greeted her with a polite smile "Oh, howdy Holly. Can I help you?"

Holly would have been amazed at his ability to remember her name, seeing the number of girls he met with daily, but instead she put her arms around her back and her left foot took a step back "I wanted to send a letter?" she asked more than said.

Wayne blinked, then looked back at something Holly couldn't see from where she was, when he turned around again, his smile turned apologetic "Sorry, Holly, the post office opens at nine."

Nine. That word swarmed around the blonde's head until she realized that she usually came here after her farm work was done. She hadn't even thought of looking at the time, she nearly wanted to smack herself, but her dominant hand, the one she instinctively went with, was the one holding the letter and she didn't want to ruin it.

"Right, uh, sorry." She murmured sheepishly, he smiled at her again and just as she was about to leave, she stopped for a minute "Is it coffee I'm smelling?"

His features seemingly relaxed "Yep, I brewed a pot. I would offer ya some but I finished it already." He said the last part scratching his left cheek.

Holly smiled a bit "You finished a whole pot? You must really like coffee."

"It's my favorite." He said simply. Holly smiled once again and waved at him as she silently walked out the door.

The farmer didn't know much about coffee, aside from the fact that her dad seemed to be obsessed with a specific brand of it. It was the strangest thing but she couldn't for the life of her remember its name. She had been surrounded by the aroma of that coffee powder for her whole life but she hadn't even bothered to remember the name, it was always just there.

Since the forgotten brand was bothering her as soon as her farm work was done she wrote another letter to her mother, asking her about it. She didn't expect the package that came three days later with a note that said "Enjoy!" and with a detailed explanation of how to make the supposed 'best coffee around'. Unfortunately, Holly didn't own a coffee pot, yet and the big package of coffee powder her mother had sent would most likely collect dust by the time she got around to getting a kitchen. She loved her mother and the way she went all out for her, even directly sending her coffee while all she did was asking for its name, and she didn't want to appear ungrateful but she would have rather her good will go to someone who would be able to enjoy it before it expired. With that in mind, she made her way to the post office.

She didn't give it to him directly, having learned the hard way that giving a gift to a popular bachelor was basically the equivalent of leaving your door open while a murderer was roaming around, so instead she went there before opening hours and, as quietly as possible, slid the coffee powder under the giant gap under the swing door that led to what she presumed was his apartment.

She wrote a thank you letter to her mother, explaining how she wasn't going to be able to enjoy it as she still didn't have anything to make coffee with, but that her gift was going to be appreciated by an avid coffee lover.

She wasn't sure if her mind was playing tricks on her or not but Wayne seemed more… warm to her. He even went as far as greeting her in the midst of a room full of fan girls, which she wasn't sure whether it was good or bad, with a wide smile that looked nothing like the ones he would usually give her.

What surprised her most was the fact that unlike her thoughts, his fan girls turned to look at her with what looked like encouragement in their eyes. Some even gave her a thumbs up and congratulated her once they were out, saying how nice it must have been to have Wayne smile at her like that.

Holly wasn't sure what could have prompted the change; she was rather proud of her sneaking abilities so there was no way Wayne could have noticed her.

The next day she found a cup of coffee on her doorsteps. She nearly tripped on it but caught herself on time. She kneeled down, eyes wide, and took the cup in her hands, it was still warm, she realized, and on it was a stick note that said "It's my favorite as well". She knew better than to taste food given by strangers but in a town as peaceful as this, she wasn't very worried. She took a sip.

Coffee mocha.

…

Little did she know that inside the giant pack of coffee, there was sand instead of powder, with a letter from her mother that read:

"Dear Holly,

Did I get you? You asked for the name of the brand so I thought what better way to prank my daughter! You could say you just got 'owned' but _I_ won't say that because it's cringe worthy. I'm not sure what caused your sudden interest in coffee but whatever it is it must be good! I wrote how to make your favorite type of coffee, coffee mocha, I know you can't stand how bitter black coffee is. I will send you the real coffee and cocoa few months later since you still don't own a kitchen. Take care of yourself, okay?

Love, Mom."

…

Two days later, Holly found out it was Wayne's birthday.

She racked her brain to figure out what he would like but the only thing she knew about him was that he liked coffee. Even though gifting him another coffee pack seemed a bit redundant, she had no other ideas. So, when she caught him sweeping his post office front door, with no one else around him, she approached him.

"Happy birthday, Wayne!" she exclaimed, handing him the coffee pack she got out of her back bag.

Wayne stopped and looked at her, and then at her gift, a small grin appearing on his face "Is there sand inside?" Holly blinked owlishly at him, but he just laughed. Setting his broom aside, he took her gift with a smile "Thank ya, Holly. I love it."

 **AN: Do not drink random drinks left out in your doorsteps, plz.**

 **I love these two and after marrying Wayne I thought that there still weren't enough interactions between them so, ta-da~**

 **English is not my first language so if there are any grammar mistakes, please let me know!**


	2. Erica

**First friend event - second friend event**

 **First friend event: In which Holly sees Wayne is popular with the ladies and the postman then rejects one of his fangirls that's proposing to him.**

Holly met the girl Wayne smoothly and charmingly rejected a few days after.

She was on the crossroad that led to the three towns, sitting on a giant rock with her face on her palms. The blonde unsurely approached her, her head lowering down until she was peeking up at her face.

"Are you okay?" She said the three words that led her to her demise. The girl nearly jumped at her as soon as she saw her and then proceeded to tell her why things were, in fact, not okay. Not okay at all. Holly's life suddenly flashed before her eyes when the girl suddenly took her by the collar with a look that could kill.

But surprisingly, the girl didn't attack her or scream or complain. Her angry features soon got replaced by sadness and her lower lip started to tremble feebly. Soon, she let go of her and plopped back on her seat, which must have hurt since she was sitting on a rock, and buried her face in her hands. Holly watched with uncertainty, her mind taking a while to process what happened in those short minutes.

"Are you okay?" She asked again, a weird sense of déjàvu filling the air. In her defense, she really had no idea what else to say and she certainly couldn't just walk away.

"No, I'm not okay, weren't you listening?" The brunette said, glaring at her but without the same fierceness as before.

"I was," Holly reassured. When silence took over, it didn't take long for it to get uncomfortable "Want to, um, calmly talk about it?"

"No." she said firmly, but the silence that followed afterward must have gotten to her too because she quickly contradicted her words "Just so you know, Wayne is a heartbreaker."

"Oh, um, okay."

"He's a cad."

"That's-"

"Playboy!"

"I think I got –"

"Womanizer!" she shouted at the top of her lungs for everyone to hear, Holly winced, then looked back at her tight-lipped. The brunette didn't seem fazed at the attention she had gotten to herself at all as she kept glaring at something in front of her. Upon closer notice, Holly started to notice that her eyes were getting red. She resisted the urge to put a comforting hand on her shoulder as she was not sure the brunette would appreciate that. She resorted to sitting on the rock with her in companionly silence. It didn't take long for the girl to sigh and give in "I saw Wayne sweeping entrance to his store so I went up to him and put my hands over his eyes and can you imagine what he said?" Holly didn't respond. She didn't have to since the brunette didn't even give her time to "He said, with a chuckle, A CHUCKLE" she emphasized, her voice then went deeper, as if imitating Wayne's "Holly, is that you?" Holly felt the hair on her neck stand up "Can you believe him?! That two-timing cad!"

Holly blinked at her "How is that two-timing?"

The girl looked at her as is she was stupid "He has me and he still chuckles when talking to another girl! And it wasn't a normal chuckle, it was a loving chuckle! The one you give someone you're close to!"

The farmer considered briefly her relationship with Wayne and came to the conclusion that there was no relationship at all. They were barely friends, more than acquaintances, sure, but nothing that would ensure a supposed loving chuckle "Maybe it's just one of his friends?"

The brunette snorted "Right. Look, sweetie, friendship between a guy and a girl doesn't exist."

To this, Holly frowned "That's not true. I have lots of guy friends."

The brunette finally looked at her; in fact, she was seizing her up and down "Oh. You're one of those girls." She said, something about her tone was off.

"Um," Holly murmured but got swiftly interrupted.

"Hey, I'm not judging you," she said with a judging tone "I get that. If I could I would probably do the same. It's nice to be the one in control, huh?" Holly felt like this conversation was going terribly wrong, though she was not sure what exactly she was saying. "You'll probably get along just fine with Wayne."

Yes, she was insulting her. It didn't bother the farmer, though. She wasn't expecting a pleasant conversation in the first place. "Wayne isn't that bad."

"Oh. Oh. Ohohoh." She laughed derisively "You're still under his spell. I pity you." She shook her head and with after yet another sigh, she put her hands on her hips and turned to Holly "Now, listen here. I am telling this for your own good. Wayne is, in fact, that bad. He is worse than most guys who play with you. He doesn't accept you, but he doesn't reject you. He gives you hope and then pulls you along without an end in sight." Holly blinked at her "If you don't like someone, just say it. Don't act all nice and keep giving girls hope when you know there is no outcome between the two of you."

"Maybe he doesn't know if he likes you yet because he doesn't know you very well." Holly offered, the brunette snorted.

"You sound just like him." She responds, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. Slowly, her arms moved until she was hugging herself "Yeah, maybe." She murmured quietly "You know, it would be easier to give up if he was a jerk but noooo, he just has to be prince charming."

The farmer didn't think that statement needed a response, but the bad silence returned and she felt obliged to say something "How awful of him." She tried really hard to make it sound as compassionate and not sarcastic as she could but it wasn't quite working. She figured in this context it didn't really matter how she said it, it would have had the same effect.

The brunette sighed and when silence fell upon them again, Holly didn't feel the need to say anything. She wasn't sure if her being here was of any help to the heartbroken girl but she stayed nevertheless.

"…What's your name anyway?" the brunette finally asked.

Holly was just about to say her name when she remembered the cause of the girl's sadness. The farmer was good at many things but inventing names on top of her head was not one of them. Her mind went blank and when she opened her mouth she blurted out "Molly."

The brunette stopped tapping her finger on her face which she was doing for the past few minutes; instead, she looked at her, her face expressionless, "Molly." She deadpanned.

"Molly." Holly repeated with a nod.

The brunette once again, eyed Holly up and down "Okay, Molly. I'm Erica." Holly smiled sheepishly and greeted her shyly "It was nice of you to keep me company, so thanks." Erica stood up and patted her long skirt, "I guess I'll see you around."

"Um." Holly quickly stood up; she didn't know why she spoke but she didn't want Erica to leave while still so emotional "Are you okay?" She said, knowing that she must sound like a broken record at this point.

Erica rolled her eyes "Yes, I'm okay. Happy?" Holly's shoulders relaxed, she nodded with a smile while the brunette grumbled something under her breath. She turned to leave but stopped in her tracks to look at the farmer "Molly, be careful of Wayne, okay?" was the last thing she said before hurrying away without giving her a chance to respond.

Holly's response died in her throat as she watched the brunette's figure get smaller and smaller. She wasn't even sure what she was going to respond to that. Shaking her head, she walked over to Tsuyukusa.


	3. Lunch

**Second friend event - First flower event**

 **Second friend event: In which Holly finds out Wayne's secret hatred for yogurt and keeps it a secret from Brad.**

Holly had to be used to heat. Being a farmer, working in the hot summer days was a must, so even though the sun was too bright and too warm, she still woke up at six a.m. every day to work on her open fields. Sometimes, she woke up earlier to avoid the blazing sun at noon, since working under that warmth was more than a challenge.

In the middle of the summer season, when the temperature raised to a level she had thought was impossible, when her nights were spent insomniac since the heat wouldn't let her sleep, when all she wanted to do was spend the whole day in front of her trusted electric fan, when she could feel the sunshine blazing through her skin she found herself, for the first time, hating being a farmer.

After that thought, multiple ones followed right after, most were ashamed and some were disgusted, all of them were bad. After all, being a farmer was her dream, it was what she had argued with her father about, it was something she had been a hundred percent sure she wanted, so giving up just because of the temperature was silly. And if she couldn't even overcome this then maybe… she really wasn't suited to being a farmer.

She wiped her brow for the tenth time as she refilled her watering can. A low sigh escaped her lips as her tired feet walked over to her un-watered crops. She was drenched in sweat and had skipped breakfast as she had nothing to eat. Wanting to skip working at noon at all costs she decided to just work on an empty stomach. She was tired, sweaty, hungry and all her thoughts were being really mean to her.

Her cow, Mina, mooed sympathetically at her and her sheep Woolly rubbed her head on her arm. Holly smiled, petting their heads lovingly. Trust her animals to lift her spirits "You guys are what keeps me going. I love you." She cried, hugging the cow and sheep respectively. Her stomach grumbled right in that moment, she never was the type of girl that would stay down for long, but she was still hungry so after brushing her animals with love, she sprinted to Westown, stopping half-way because of her low stamina and then cursing the restaurant for being so far away. She had just stepped on the north part of Westown when the heat had gotten to her again and she stopped to take some time to rest, her arms and feet sore.

Her grumbling stomach told her to walk up the stairs but her feet protested with each step. After the first flight of stairs, she stopped again, let out a deep breath and then, her eyes fell on the post office.

Holly loved yogurt, so when Wayne had told her about his secret dislike of the said food, she was surprised, and maybe a bit glad because that day, she got to eat his dish for him. When Brad asked her about it, she had covered for him because that was what she thought was the proper thing to do. After all, she too had something unusual that she wasn't very fond of and she really wouldn't have liked people to blurt it out.

Wayne had always felt pretty distant but ever since that day he was warming up more and more to her. He would even invite her to lunch when she would pass by the post office at noon. Holly would always refuse, always thinking that Wayne was just being polite, but right now, that offer seemed really appealing.

She glanced at the stairs in front of her once and then walked over to the post office, opening the doors, a fresh breeze ran past her, the ceiling fans offering some comfort and shyly, she walked over to the sliding door. Her hand rested on it for some moments before she opened it quietly "Wayne?" she called out.

"Holly?" Wayne asked, stopping in his tracks, in his hands a plate of what seemed like omelet "Woah, are ya okay?"

Holly tilted her head "Yeah, I'm fine."

Wayne walked to the dining table, put the plate down and then rushed to her "Ya look exhausted! Come on, sit down." He put a hand on her shoulder, in a sort of half-hug and Holly felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment as she realized she was still covered in sweat. Wayne either didn't notice, which was unlikely or didn't care that she was wetting his arm sleeve.

"Actually," Holly mumbled as he led her to the sofa "I was wondering if the offer to have lunch still stands?"

The farmer felt his feet halting making her stop walking as well, she looked up to him and saw his smile slowly spreading on his face "Of course, ya come at a right time, I made too much food today." He changed direction so they were now walking to the dining table; he made her sit in front of the plate, Holly's mouth watered at the sight of food and he chuckled lightly at her "I'm no cook like Brad so I hope I won't disappoint."

"Food that looks this good must be delicious." She said, her eyes unable to look away from the omelet.

"Thanks, but," Wayne started with a hint of a smile, he walked to his kitchen and made another plate for himself "that sounds like a bad motto to live by."

She grinned at him "It hasn't failed me yet, though!" she started kicking her legs back and forth as she waited for him to sit down. Soon, her head started bobbing up and down as well.

When Wayne saw her, he blinked, then smiled softly "Ya look like an excited puppy" he commented

"I am excited, you're awesome! Thank you!"

"Ya still haven't even tried it yet." He sat down across from her.

Holly eagerly grabbed her fork "I don't need to try it to know you're awesome!" she dropped her fork abruptly "Oh, right, prayers." Wayne watched her with eyebrows knitted together as she clasped her hands together and closed her eyes. He didn't know her very well but it was strange to see her so calm for once, the contrast with her usual self was almost cute.

"Ya're Catholic?" Wayne asked, grabbing a bite when Holly had finished her prayers. She gulped down a third of her plate in one large bite, that image and the previous one didn't sit well together.

Holly shook her head "Um, no, not really. My parents are." She took another large bite and swallowed "They never pressured me into following their footsteps, but we do always say prayers for our food," she grabbed another quick bite "And I think that it's pretty nice to say thanks for having something to eat so it stuck." She said, mouth full.

"Ah, I see," Wayne responded, honestly, a tad off-put by her table mannerism. He ate his food at a normal pace, though compared to Holly's he was eating as slow as a turtle. He wasn't even half done when she had finished her plate clean.

"Thank you for the food." Holly licked her lips, Wayne averted his gaze. After a moment, Holly added with a smile "You'd make a great housewife, Wayne."

Wayne nearly choked on his food; Holly visibly jumped, she looked around frantically and flew to fetch him a glass of water. He accepted the glass she gave him, the contents of which were spilling everywhere due to her shaky hand, and thanked her with a wink, even in near-death he didn't fail to be charming. "'M glad ya think that, Holly." He said after drinking from the glass with the poise of an elegant gentleman instead of a choking man, an amused smile was still hanging from his lips.

After realizing that Wayne wasn't going to die soon, Holly's playful grin slowly returned "I bet you'll look great in a frilly apron."

"I reckon it does suit me," He pointed at his kitchen; Holly looked at that direction, seeing a cute and frilly apron full of ribbons hanging from a hook on the fridge. "I'll show ya next time you come over for lunch."

"One of your fangirls gave you that, huh?" Holly mumbled, not really expecting a response.

"I wouldn't use the word fangirls." Wayne quickly interjected.

"Can't wait." Holly said loudly, smiling brightly at him, Wayne smiled back after a heartbeat "Just wondering, do you have seconds?"

 **A.N.: Lucy Kay: Ahhh, thank you so much for your reviews! They brightened my day~ And thank you for the advice, I had to use Google to get what you meant but I left with a whole new knowledge. I do like using run out sentences, I'll watch out from now on. Erica was supposed to be a filler character that accentuated Wayne's overly flirtatious nature but as soon as the word 'cad' appeared, Fritz came to mind and for a while, I pretended that Wayne was Raeger and Erica was a female version of Fritz that had a crush on him. I found myself having way too much fun writing that part, so I am glad you liked her~** **I am also so glad you liked both chapters (/u/) I was a bit worried, especially about the last one since as you said, Wayne didn't appear.**

 **Also a huge thank you to everyone reading! Hope I don't disappoint~**

 **Wanan, Good Night~**


	4. Spring Coffee Santa

**A.N.: Another friendship event before we start with the romance. That felt like a weird thing to say. The romance. Kind of makes me want to laugh.**

 **This chapter was brought to you by Community.**

 **Second friend event - First flower event**

Holly found herself getting along with Wayne's fans. She would greet them whenever she saw them and for them, she was always remembered as the girl who Wayne fondly smiled at, so they would greet her back affectionately.

Though she did enjoy being with them, having the occasional afternoon chat with the girls as they talked about nothings, Holly wouldn't consider herself as one of Wayne's fangirls even though the people in his fan club would seem to think otherwise. In Holly's mind being a fangirl meant idolizing someone, to think of someone with respect and looking at them highly and, as nice as Wayne was, he just didn't fit that description.

Someone who did fit that description for her would be Yuzuki, the guy with a heart of gold. Holly swore she never saw him getting angry in all the time they spent together even when he had all the reasons to, also, Holly wouldn't think of herself as weak, seeing the amount of farm work she had to endure daily, but Yuzuki was even stronger than her while looking even frailer than the farmer. So she held nothing but the highest of respect for the man. She even told him so one day as they drank tea on Yuzuki's outdoor bench.

He laughed quietly "Thank you, Holly." He said with a smile "This would be the first time I have a fangirl."

Holly opened the container of sweets she had bought from the tea house "Really? You're super strong, though! I figured you'd have tons of fangirls" She held the container to him and he naturally took a piece.

He took a bite "But I don't look really strong."

"Oh, yeah." Holly nodded, poking his arm, he glanced at her "Your clothes are hiding your muscles." She then poked her own arm "I don't have any strangely."

"I don't either."

"Liar." Holly accused, poking his arm again.

He smiled "It's true." She poked him once again "Muscles won't grow even if you keep poking, Holly."

"Mmh, maybe it's better this way." Holly mused "You would look strange with Hector like muscles."

"Hector?"

"He's a buff guy from Westown, mustache and a big heart." She made some gestures with her hands, as if drawing Hector for Yuzuki to see. "But he can come across as scary."

Yuzuki nodded slowly "You have a large circle of friends."

"I just walk around a lot" She shrugged "Do you not know anyone outside of Tsuyukusa?"

Yuzuki thought about it as he munched on his sweet, Holly ate hers in one big bite "I go to Westown with Hinata sometimes so I think I know a couple of people, the chef and her wife, Brad and Carrie if I'm not mistaken. I know Ford, the doctor. Oh, and Wayne, the postman as well. He comes around here from time to time." Holly's interest was piqued, she leaned forward a bit "And the twins from Lulukoko. Illuka and Silluka."

"You know Wayne?" Yuzuki merely nodded "What do you think of him?"

He bowed his head "Mmh…" he started, "I think he's very handsome." He said finally with his usual serene smile.

Holly gasped dramatically "Are you dashed by his looks as well, Yuzuki?"

He laughed quietly "It is true that he has good looks, won't you think so?"

Holly realized that she had never once looked at him properly, "Um, maybe?"

The second day, Holly saw Wayne walking around Westown, she approached him and gazed at him from a distance. Of course, Wayne noticed, he turned around and stared her as well "Howdy Holly. Is…something wrong?"

She jumped "Oh, uh, no, nothing! Sorry" she apologized, quickly shaking her head. She didn't know Yuzuki liked this type of looks; she tilted her head and looked at his face "I guess you do look handsome." She sort of whispered.

Wayne blinked "Um, what?"

"What do you think of Yuzuki, Wayne?"

Wayne blinked again "Well…" he started, it took him a while to respond. Holly kept staring expectantly "He is real pretty. And not just in looks, either." Holly's face contorted at first, but then her eyes lit up "He' got a real pretty heart, too," seeing the farmer's pleased response, he smiled "How does someone get to be so elegant and beautiful both inside and out, I wonder."

Holly gasped dramatically again, her eyes shined "You think that highly of him, too?" she grinned "I like you Wayne"

Wayne blinked once again "What?"

"I am Yuzuki's fangirl!" She announced proudly, hands on her hips "I am glad you think that of him. I should introduce you two sometimes." She said, her eyes shining again.

"Oh, I'd like that, actually." Wayne responded, curtly nodding, then he turned confused "Fangirl?"

"Yep, I had the epiphany after talking to your fangirls!" She grinned "I really respect Yuzuki and I wish him nothing but happiness. You're so lucky to have so many fangirls, Wayne."

"I am." Wayne agreed with a charming smile "He must be really special to ya then."

"Of course! I'd like to consider him as one of my best friends! I kept seeing him as I passed by his house a lot and we just clicked. He loves sweets as well." She paused, bouncing on the balls of her feet "Do you like sweets, Wayne?" At this point, Holly strangely felt like she was dragging this conversation out. Maybe she should have left after offering to introduce them, or maybe she shouldn't have stared at him in the first place, that was a rude thing to do.

"I reckon I do, I'm not that picky." Holly nodded, looking down at the ground. Silence stretched between them. Though it was kind of tense, Holly didn't want to just leave. She did enjoy Wayne's company and even though she did not know what to say to him, she did want to get to know him better. "Do ya want to get a cup of coffee?" Holly looked up at him and blinked "It's a bit awkward isn't it?" Wayne asked directly with a chuckle.

A chuckle that Holly found herself imitating "Yeah, a bit."

"But ya know," He kept going, as charming as ever "I really do enjoy spending time with ya." He said with a gentle smile "Even if the mood gets like this."

His words took her aback a bit, she never expected Wayne to feel like this as well, with all the people that hang around him all day, she figured she was nothing but one of the crowd to him "Yeah, I do, too."

Wayne seemed to relax at her words, she hadn't even noticed him tense up until then "So, how about that cup?"

"Yeah, sure!" Holly beamed. Wayne offered his arm jokingly and Holly linked her arm with his after a light chuckle "Thank you, kind sir."

"Yer welcome, m' lady." He winked and Holly laughed again "Ya like coffee mocha best, don't cha?"

The farmer blinked owlishly at him "Yeah, how did you know that?"

"A hunch, maybe." He smiled amused "It's my favorite as well."

The blonde's confused frown soon turned into a wide-eyed gasp "Wait, you're-" Wayne laughed under his breath "Spring coffee Santa!" at that, Wayne actually laughed out loud, Holly found herself grinning with him.

"Spring coffee Santa?"

"What else was I supposed to call you?" Holly asked with a shrug.

Wayne mirrored her movement "Fair enough."

"How did you find out?" The farmer asked, without realizing that she had already asked the same question not too long ago.

Wayne didn't seem to realize it either, it may have had to do with how their conversation was flowing, how the implications changed "It's a secret." Holly pouted at him and he smiled brightly at her before changing the subject. Though Holly had tried to trick him into talking, the postman dodged successfully all of her attempts. Years of dodging confession must have trained him well, Holly thought after her fifth attempt. She knew better than to try out win him then.

"Why do I feel judgment coming from ya?" Wayne asked glancing at her from the corner of his eye.

Holly's sulky gaze mellowed down "At least Yuzuki only has me." She murmured under her breath.

Wayne panicked "W-"

"It's so much easier to get information out of him." Holly kept saying. Wayne let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and the farmer then realized she had been talking to herself. She looked up at Wayne and tilted her head. "Did you say something?"

"Nope, nothing." Wayne quickly said, grinning brightly. He tugged her closer to him "Come on, my lady, this way."

 **Lucy Kay: Ahahahah, that's something my English teacher keeps telling me as well! Thank you for passing the torch to me, that's really sweet! Your advices are very appreciated! Thank _you_ for reading~**

 **Wanan, Good Night~**


	5. Contest

**A.N: Let the romance begin!**

 **First flower event and second flower event**

 **First flower event: In which Wayne meets Holly during his routine and offers her some crackers, then Holly gets some milk from one of her cows to go with the crackers and Wayne is impressed.**

Holly started giving Wayne milk occasionally. Whenever Mina made some really good quality milk she would always think about sharing it with Wayne. It made her happy, really, to hear someone appreciate her products. She felt like she was doing farming right, it pumped her to no end and gave her the additional boost to keep working hard.

The summer heat had left and now the colorful leaves were falling. After her little…discouragement, she found herself working twice as hard just to prove herself that she was wrong and that she could do it, she could become a farmer. It was exhausting and more often than not, the constant over-work guaranteed her to a trip to the clinic where Ford would always find new ways to lecture her. She thought that they were getting along rather well, maybe it was the mere exposure effect but she started feeling really close to the doctor ever since she started fainting so much. Ford didn't find that amusing, he just frowned at her.

But knowing that Wayne thought so highly of her animals made it all worth it, the fainting, the exhaustion, the countless days were she got only a few hours of sleep, it all amounted to this. Someone finally approved and she was going to be a farmer that made products that everyone would love!

"Wayne!" she called out, waving her arms in the air. She caught the attention of the small group of girls around the postman as well; they turned around, smiled and waved at her then shared a common look and walked away giving their farewell to Wayne. The postman then turned to look at her, a smile appearing on his face as Holly approached. She grabbed the bottle of milk from her bag and handed it to him with a grin.

He accepted it gratefully "Ya know, Holly." He started, putting the milk in his bag "The animal festival is coming up. Ya think about participating?"

"Oh." Holly murmured "No. I don't think I will."

Wayne's eyebrows furrowed "Why not?"

Holly kicked the ground with her foot "I've only been here for two seasons, and I've got my animals for less time." She said with a shrug "I know there is a beginner class but I am still too green. I'll participate once I get better and win for sure!" she said pumping her fists.

But Wayne shook his head at her "Holly, trust me when I say this, yer a great farmer." She grinned sheepishly at his compliment, he smiled too "Ya need more confidence in your skills; ya can take home the gold."

His encouragement made Holly all giddy; she rocked on her heels back and forth "Jeez, thanks" she said, "But-"

"No buts, just sign up" he winked at her "you won't lose anything by just participating!"

Holly bit her lower lip, and then nodded "I'll think about it." If she were to be honest, she would have said that she was a bit worried. Worried that if she'll lose she will lose her motivation again and her horrible thoughts would return. She was still new at this so losing would be normal but at the same time, there was a part of her that was sure she could win and surprisingly, that confidence of hers was what was preventing her from participating. What if the contest proved her wrong?

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder and she jumped out of her thoughts, looking up she saw Wayne smiling at her "Holly, relax. Ya've got nothing to worry about. Yer amazing."

Holly felt her ears heat up and she quickly avoided his gaze "Oh, um, t-thanks." She stuttered, taking a step back. His hand left her shoulder then and he awkwardly took it back.

"Er," he started but Holly beat him to it.

"I should get back to my chores," she quickly said, gesturing at something behind her "So…" she let her sentence trail off as she took a few more steps backward. He merely nodded, murmuring an affirmative. Before Holly walked away she turned to him again and took a deep breath "Wayne, I just…I want to thank you."

"There really is no need, Holl-"

"No." Holly shook her head "No, there really is. You've helped me a lot." She smiled at him, genuinely "Thank you."

Wayne was taken aback "Yer…yer welcome, Holly." He asked more than said, she smiled at him again and waved as she took the road to Tsuyukusa.

The days were getting colder as Holly worked herself to the bone. She was still scared of losing, not wanting to doubt herself again, but at the same time she wanted to win, she knew she could win and if she didn't, she just had to remember that there were people who supported her and thought of her as amazing. It still made her blush every time she thought about it.

When the day of the festival arrived, she took Mina to the event with trembling hands, her cow comforted her with soft moos and head brushing and Holly knew in that moment that there was no cow out there better than hers and that she had been a fool to think about only herself when in fact, it was Mina who was the contestant here and she was going to win, no doubt.

She stood proudly by Mina's side as the contest began, her eyes met Wayne's for a brief moment and she felt energy rushing through her and her confidence amplified tenfold when he nodded at her with a grin.

When Mina and she got declared winners, Holly nearly couldn't contain herself, she walked to the front of the stage with a large grin that she couldn't wipe with Mina by her side as Woofio congratulated her. Her hands were shaking when she accepted her prize, and she beamed at the whole crowd while standing in the center of the podium, her hand never leaving Mina's head.

"Holly, congra-" Wayne started once the contest was over and the farmer rushed down, he got interrupted by her tackling him, nearly sending him stumbling on the ground but he caught himself after a few steps back. Her arms were wrapped around his neck, her legs were curved and in the air so to keep her from falling he had to hold her waist, something he did without even realizing it. She had been blushing the entire contest, and her smile was pasted on her face.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she exclaimed with the brightness of thousands sun, her hands then moved to his shoulders and she distanced herself enough to properly look at him, their eyes met and he didn't know how it was possible but her eyes lit up even more. Wayne's own cheeks heated up. She let go of him after that and rushed to the circle of girls waiting for her on the other end, she went to hug Illuka with nearly the same force as him and the girl promptly shoved her off, Silluka coming quickly to their sides, congratulating the farmer as well, followed by Lisette and all the others.

Wayne stood there, unable to move for a couple of minutes, it was Ford who woke him up from his trance.

"Your face is red." He said, not teasingly nor worriedly, just a statement of the situation.

Wayne looked at him and shook his head "Yeah, I know. Sheesh." He moved the back of his hand so it covered his mouth "She's really something else." He said, his voice muffled.

Ford merely stared at him questioningly, but Wayne just laughed it off. He changed topics and talked to the doctor with a grin that he was unable to wipe off.


	6. Bear

**First flower event and second flower event**

 **The second flower event is awesome so another chapter here to accentuate to how they got there~.**

 **Fun fact, this chapter is what started this whole story.**

Holly loved animals. In fact, her love played a huge part in the reason why she became a farmer. She loved those innocent eyes and the way they would lit up when she would pet them, she loved how animals would follow her around once she befriended them, and taking care of them was always tons of fun, too. There was, she thought, absolutely nothing bad about animals, they were cute, fluffy and so, so endearing. So, the delight she felt upon coming to this…her farm and finding such a variety of animals in the three towns outside was overwhelming.

Holly was great with animals (Of course, being a farmer that was pretty much a requirement), once she was in front of a pet, her demeanor completely changed. She was always bright, peppy and cheery but once she was dealing with a cow or a pet there was this…gentleness around her. The way her eyes softened and her tone got just a bit lighter, the way she smiled at them made Wayne unable to take his eyes off of her.

He didn't know the farm girl well enough, but ever since that time when he bumped into her in the early morning while he was doing his rounds around town and they finally had the chance to sit down and talk, he found himself gazing unconsciously at her whenever she was around. Whenever he saw her kneeled down to talk to a stray cat he found himself smiling, it reminded him of the way she petted her cow on that day when he visited her farm. Wayne was certain that there was no one in the world that may have liked animals as much as the cheerful farmer.

Therefore, saying he was surprised when he saw her cowering when the friendly bear that lived in south Westown charged at her was an understatement. Instincts moved before his mind and in seconds he found himself in front of her, shielding her from the furious bear, which, upon seeing him slowed down until it was near his feet, then it sat down and looked up to him, curious.

He looked at the bear with furrowed eyebrows before he glanced back to check if the person standing behind him was in fact, really Holly. He was met with a straw hat placed upon blonde hair, a cute round face and eyes shut tight. It was Holly, no doubt.

"Hey, are ya okay?" he asked gently, her eyes popped open, and her face turned dramatically to him. She looked at his face wide eyed before her gaze settled to the bear and then back at him.

"My hero" she breathed out, quietly, her hands moving to cup her nose and mouth. Wayne smiled but with a raised eyebrow, "I mean," Holly quickly said, clearing her throat and laughing sheepishly "I am, thank you."

The bear seemed to turn violent again upon hearing Holly and the girl shrieked while taking a step back. Wayne gazed back and forth between them, though once he noticed her shaking he quickly took her by the arm and pulled her away, he dragged her towards the staircases that would lead to his post office. Holly seemed too busy to make sure that the bear wouldn't follow to notice where they were going, in fact once Wayne released her and turned to look at her, Holly was studying her surroundings with confused eyes.

"Ya'll have to excuse him." Wayne started, the farmer blinked and turned to look at him, then slightly tilted her head "The bear, I mean. He's not usually like this, he is very docile. I am sure you can get him to like ya." He said, winking. He hoped that it could cheer her up as he was sure that such an occurrence could never have happened to her.

Shockingly, Holly averted his eyes and forced a smile "O-oh. Yeah. I'm sure, haha."

The postman frowned "Are ya really okay?"

The farmer stared at him speechless for a second, before loudly gasping "A-Ah, of course! I'm fine, totally!" she pumped her fist, gave him her winning grin and bounced a bit to emphasize her point "See? Totally okay!" Her shoulders slumped slightly "It's just… I should have passed through Tsuyukusa as usual…" she sulked quietly, more to herself than to him.

It didn't take long for Wayne to put two and two together and when he did, it was difficult for him to control his surprise "Are ya… scared of bears, Holly?"

Holly looked at him as if he had just announced of returning from a murder spree "What? Why would you, I mean, pff, of course I am not scared of, who would be scared of, they are such cute creatures-" Wayne couldn't help but smile at the way her cheeks were turning redder and redder the more she talked. "I, I am not, um" the way she was fumbling with her words was incredibly endearing as well. She seemed to have given up on mumbling her denial, no doubt having sensed herself by now that it was a lost cause, and instead crossed her arms and huffed which distinctly reminded him of a kitten trying to sound like a tiger "You don't like yogurt!" She exclaimed, red cheeked.

He found that very amusing "Oh?" he chuckled lightly, a playful smirk on his face "What does that have to do with anything?"

She looked away "Just… just there are things that people are scared of or dislike that are very, um, strange. There's no need to judge." She muttered, voice growing weaker by the word and cheeks growing redder.

Wayne's eyes softened "I am not judging you. It surprised me, that's all, since ya like animals and all."

"I do!" Holly quickly defended. "Bears are just…" she trailed off, unwilling to say the word.

"Scary?" Wayne offered. She slowly nodded, her cheeks flushing once more. Again, he found himself grinning "I like the blush, it's a good look on ya."

"Huh?" Holly looked at him wide-eyed.

He himself blinked once, then coughed but soon there was a smile on his lips "Er, I meant that it's okay to be scared. I won't make fun of ya." He could still feel her incredulous gaze on him. He let out a breath and looked back at her, "Actually, I wouldn't have minded if you told me, I am here for you, ya know? Just like ya were there for me when ya ate my greatest enemy, yogurt." He chuckled at the memory and managed to get a smile out of her as well "Tell ya what. If you want I can walk ya whenever to your farm, so ya don't hafta go in circles."

"You don't have to do that" the farmer responded, quickly waving her hands in front of her "I really don't mind going through Tsuyukusa. It's a nice town."

"As nice as it is, it must be tiring to take the long walk every time." He insisted, trying to look as sincere as possible, Holly still looked uncertain "I really don't mind, ya know, it'd be my pleasure to escort a lady home." He winked with a charming smile.

But Holly's features contorted in something that resembled…annoyance? Even though it was just for that split second, for it had then been replaced with her usual smile, he knew he had seen it and his heart dropped just a bit "It's okay Wayne, I can take care of myself. But, um, thank you." He would have responded, or even kept insisting as he would have liked to spend more time with the farmer but that split reaction made it kind of hard for him to keep speaking. Did he say something wrong?

They stood there in silence for a few, awkward moments, both of them looking at their feet unsure of what to say next, until Holly spoke up again "Um, you know, I can see why you have so many fangirls." She let out a humorless laugh as she played with a strand of her hair. Wayne blinked at her and her cheeks puffed out a bit, she took a step closer to him, her head leaned towards him and their faces weren't really that close but he could still, strangely, feel his heart beat pick up in his chest. Though her eyes were narrowed he couldn't help but wanting to wrap his arms around her "I'm saying, you don't go around offering to walk home every damsel in distress, people will get the wrong idea!" she said, hands on her hips and a stern look on her face. She huffed again and, crossing her arms, she walked away from a stunned Wayne. "And they say I should be careful with what I do. He winked! I don't wink at people! While smiling none the less!" She grumbled to herself.

It took a while for Wayne to come back to his senses and when he did, he couldn't help but muse how his heart was still beating so fast.

 **Lucy Kay: Haha, your reviews always manage to cheer me up! Thank you so much!**

 **Thanks for reading! Wanan, good night~**


	7. Stares

**Second love event - Third love event**

 **Second/Dark blue love event: "It's not that I don't like that. It's just when you're this close, uh, my heart rate starts goin' up." And "I wasn't kidding when I said you make my heart beat." *clutches heart***

 **In which Holly and Wayne hide behind a sign to scare Hector because Noel wants to and then Wayne starts being a smooth …gentleman.**

Holly breathed out white air as her boots crunched under the snow. Her eyes darted over the watch on Wayne's wrist and she tilted her head trying to read the time.

Had two hours already passed? She tried not to let herself get too frustrated but she didn't expect this to be taking so much time. She still had farm work to do, out of all the days they could pick to clean the town statue, it had to be the day Holly was as busy as a bee. She had to go to Tsuyukusa to buy some seeds to replace her already ripe winter radishes and if she wanted her soil to dry at a reasonable hour then she had to rush back to the farm as soon as possible. She had already fainted for exhaustion the day before which caused her to sleep in this morning. Ford was giving her the stink eye as she spoke! She felt tired already at the prospect of skipping lunch to finish her work. She had hoped to get to bed earlier today.

Before her thoughts could go darker, she quickly shook her head. No, she had volunteered to help; it was a bit unfair of her to complain now. Even if it was taking longer than she thought, it wasn't like she could walk away without feeling guilty. Right, the sooner she helped the sooner she could get back to the farm. With that in mind, she started marching towards Megan to ask for more work, she didn't need a break! But she could feel the density of Ford's gaze on her back and she obediently went back to her spot. The doctor seemed to be pleased by that. She still had the resolve to get back to work, though so she bounced on the balls of her feet, restless.

She heard a quiet chuckle near her and her feet slowly slowed down until she was standing still as she turned towards the direction of the sound. She blinked at Wayne who was looking at her with a close-lipped smile.

"Sorry, didn' mean to laugh." He said with the typical Westown accent that she grew accustomed to. "You're so full of sunshine as always, Holly." His eyes grew soft and Holly's cheeks started feeling hot under that gaze. Though, she thought it was mostly embarrassment and guilt more than anything as she didn't do anything worth praising; if anything her thoughts were rather selfish.

"Ah, oh, uh…" She stammered which didn't help her embarrassed state at all. She'd been rather nervous around Wayne lately. He was such a sweet and charismatic guy, always knowing what to say. He had a way with words and if she didn't know any better she would have thought that he was, well, flirting.

He tipped his cowboy hat down slightly "'m sorry, didn't mean to make you feel uneasy."

"You didn't!" the words came out of her mouth before she could properly react "It's that… well, I'm running late for my errands so it's less about me being, um, sunshiny and more me being impatient, I guess."

"Oh," he mutters, something about the way his eyebrows rose up for that split second seemed to ask her 'Sunshiny?' as if her choice of words had slightly entertained him "If you're in a rush I can cover for ya."

Holly smiled. Wayne was really such a sweet guy "It's okay. I volunteered, I'm not going to quit halfway!" she beamed, pumping her fists. Wayne smiled "I just wish Ford wouldn't give me the stink eye for not taking a break."

Wayne chuckled at that "Oh, I know. I've been asked to look after ya to make sure you didn' work yourself to exhaustion." He winked at her, just like how he did it that day when he had reassured her he was joking when he had clumsily remarked that her being that close to him made his heart rate go up. The two of them were hiding behind a sign and Wayne looked so genuinely shy back then, completely lacking all of his normal charms that Holly had believed his words. She had felt just a tad disappointed when he had winked and returned to his usual self, then…

 _I wasn't lying when I said you make my heart beat._

Holly quickly looked away. Her face flushed as she remembered the words he said to her that day. "Oh, okay." She said firmly, letting their conversation die there. Suddenly, she felt really self-conscious about the fact that the person standing next to her was Wayne. Her whole body went rigid, her heartbeat picking up slightly. She didn't dare to move too much in fear of doing something embarrassing and though she wasn't looking directly at him, her eyes were staring at his direction without her controlling them. She could see his outline in her peripheral vision and couldn't help the occasional smiles that appeared on her face as she saw him doing the same thing. She hoped she wasn't just imagining it. Maybe being near him alone was enough to make her feel giddy. Or maybe her smiles were due to both reasons. Now, she wished time passed even more slowly, maybe she wouldn't mind staying like this for a while longer.

Wait, no! No, Holly, snap out of it. Farm work, farm work, farm work, your dream, dream, dream!

She quickly shook her head, her body felt static at the movement and the thought that Wayne was watching made her heart speed up but she couldn't care about that! She had more important things to focus on, like her farm work!

His words rang in her head again but she did her best to shut them off, after all, Wayne was like this with everybody. She wasn't sure why she thought that but there was a part of her that told her that he was just giving her hope and dragging her along with no end in sight.

"Holly?"

"Uh? I-I mean, yes?" Her voice was strangely strained, and somehow trembling. Her heart seemed to be beating in her throat.

Megan was smiling at her, not having noticed anything, "Could you help us pick up these materials?" She gestured at the bronze a little ways away. Holly nodded fervently, anything to get away from this situation.

"T-those look mighty heavy." Was the tremor in Wayne's voice just her imagination? He took a pause saying his next sentence; she heard the slight sound of breath being let out "I'll help, too."

 _Wayne, I'm trying to get away from you_ Holly thought desperately, with a plastered smile on her face. _Stop being so nice!_

Holly rushed to the materials and brought them to Hector doing her best to avoid Wayne in the process. She felt so self-conscious every time she passed by him and heat would always go up to her ears whenever she felt his eyes on her.

She did her best to tell herself that Wayne wasn't looking at her, why would he? She wasn't anything special and he was like this with everybody.

With everybody.

Holly glanced at him to find that he really wasn't looking at her and her heart dropped a bit at that realization. She started remembering her conversation with Erica and the ugly truth behind the girl's words. It would have been indeed easier if he wasn't so kind. Then Holly wouldn't have started liking him in the first place.

She stopped as soon as that thought hit her.

"Need help?" Holly jumped and screamed at the sound, leaving Wayne stunned with a wide-eyed expression, the farmer's heartbeat was beating fast and she wasn't sure for exactly which reason that was. She stared at Wayne and he stared at her, time seemed to be stopping. She saw him swallow and then "Are… are ya alright?"

Holly nodded, movements stiff "Y-yeah." She shook her head and whatever spell she was in got broken with that gesture "I don't. Need help, that is, but thank you." The blonde was getting used to the fact that today her voice was just shaky.

"Right," Wayne nodded, Holly hated the way her mind was praying tricks on her. No way was Wayne blushing "Ya can always count on me if you do."

She bit her inner cheek in an attempt to not smile too much "Yeah, thank you," it wasn't quite working.

They looked away from each other but neither was moving. Slowly, Holly redirected her gaze to him. He still wasn't looking at her, she wondered if he would feel her staring just like she thought she did. She wondered what he was thinking, wondered if he really meant all he was saying or if he was just being a huge flirt.

Holly wondered when she started liking him. She had had crushes before but they never lasted long since she had never acted upon them, she would just let time do its trick and when it was over there would be very little to miss as there was nothing to begin with.

But this time, it was different. Holly knew Wayne, had talked to him nearly every day since she had moved here, had lunches with him, he knew about her secret and she knew his. She hadn't started liking him because of a quality he possessed or some gesture he had done, she started to like him after knowing him, after spending time with him and most importantly he was her friend. One she didn't want to lose.

Even so, she had no idea where to go from here.

"Are you two staring at each other again?" Noel's voice rang, waking them both from their daydreams. When did Wayne start looking at her?

They both immediately looked down at the small girl who was looking up to them, she had the same annoyed expression as that time, her cheeks were puffed and her eyes were narrowed slightly. Holly nearly couldn't contain her 'awww' at the sight.

The farmer heard Wayne chuckling and her eyes darted to him "Sorry, I'll get back to work," he winked at Noel and Holly felt just a twinge of annoyance. Did he have to wink at everybody? But then he looked at her again, his eyes soft and full of affection and every drop of negativity completely went away "Shall we, sweetheart?" Holly stared, but he looked as calm and composed as ever. In her trance he took the bronze she had been carrying this whole time, their fingers brushed slightly, he smiled at her "I'll see ya ahead." He said and lingered on his spot for just a second more.

…Sweetheart?

"Holly…" Noel said. Holly had nearly forgotten the little girl was still there "Your face is red again. Are you really okay?"

Holly stared at Wayne, at his back, at his ears which were still tinted pink and then looked back to Noel, "Yeah," she murmured, then sighed "Yeah." She giggled, giddiness filling her entire body "I'm okay. Better than ever." She told her with a bright smile, Noel looked surprised. Holly hummed to herself as she rushed back to work.

Maybe staying here a little longer wasn't that bad.

 **AN: CAPJHMPAgirl: Aaaah, thank you for your review! I was hesitant, too, especially when his fangirls appeared and one of them proposed to him, I thought it was going to be the same story again but he won me over with his dark blue love event and I was pleasantly surprised when his fangirls turned out to be rather nice.**

 **Lucy Kay: Aw, thank you for taking the time to correct my grammar in every chapter! It's always nice when you say something about yourself~ it makes me feel like I'm getting to know you, haha!**

 **A huge thank you to everyone reading~ Good night~**


	8. Realizations

**Third flower event - Confession**

 **Third flower event: In which Holly stalks Wayne for a few minutes and he is completely fine with it as they watch the stars together and hold hands.**

"I want to be with Holly."

Wayne arranged the letters in the Postino, his body felt lighter than ever, his heart beat the only thing audible to him. He wouldn't say that these feelings were uncomfortable but they did seemingly interfere with his everyday activities. Sometimes, he would get so caught up on his beating heart to really notice what was going on around him.

That night, as he gazed at the stars with Holly, her hand in his, he found himself thinking that thought as soon as he saw the falling star. It had come out of nowhere and it hit him like a ton of bricks.

He wanted to be with Holly.

His ears started tinting red at the thought that was swimming in his head. He couldn't quite pinpoint the exact moment that he started feeling this way but he did know that she had always interested him. From the moment they met, when she announced that she was going to be a farmer with a wide grin and hands on her hips as if daring anyone else to contradict her, he was captivated. Not necessarily in a romantic way but he did find her energy, her passion to be extremely charming.

He was keen to get to know her better, to know why she was so persistent in her unusual dream. She looked so small and frail, he didn't think her persistence would last but he was proven wrong countless of times and it only made her respect more.

Maybe it was the moment where he saw her working to fulfill her dream himself. The way she treated her animals with all the care in the world, her love was so evident even in her small gestures and all the doubts Wayne could have had all vanished. She was amazing and she was going to be an amazing farmer.

But Holly was more than that. She was straight-forward and down-to-earth, she was a beam of light that brought happiness everywhere she went, or at least, that was what Wayne thought. That was why he couldn't stand to see her doubting herself. He wanted, more than anything, to keep her smiling. At the same time, he wanted to be by her side through the bad times and remind her that she wasn't alone.

Wow, that was cheesy. And the letters were now a messy big pile on the table.

He shook his head and re-started his work, trying to keep a certain farmer out of his head. Ethan smirked at him.

"You know, your fangilrs haven't visited in a while." He started with a teasing undertone that went over Wayne's head as he was too busy multi-tasking.

"Now that you mention it…" Wayne hummed, feeling a bit bad for not noticing himself, and not noticing sooner.

"I think they all noticed it, too. You're so obvious sometimes." Wayne kept working, looking as if he hadn't heard him. The postman reacted with a five-second delay. He stopped and finally looked at Ethan and the smirk on his face.

"Huh?"

"Spring is in the air." Wayne looked like he wanted to say something but kept quiet "So, who's the lucky gal?"

The blond felt blood rushing through his cheeks. Was he really that easy to read? Did Holly notice as well? He tried to laugh it off, not wanting to make his feelings public yet. If there was someone he told about them first, then it had to be Holly herself.

When he finally finished the task on his hands, Ethan gave him a small explanation of the deliveries of today and then he was off, walking around the three towns with packages in his messenger bag. He spotted her talking to the purple haired dancer of Lulukoko, the name of the girl was escaping him at the moment. He briefly wondered if she had always been like this, so easy to spot; if the brightness around her that made her stick out like nothing else from the crowd had always been there.

The next morning as he went to make his daily deliveries he couldn't help stopping at Holly's house last, he also couldn't help but linger there for a few moments, hoping to see the farmer and maybe her smile. That would brighten the rest of his day for sure.

Like a wish come true, the moment he thought of that, the door to Holly's house opened and there she was. Blonde hair tightly braided into two long braids and eyes closed as her mouth went open. The farmer was yawning as she appeared at her door, completely obvious to Wayne's presence. Once her right eye opened and the postman appeared in her vision, she stopped. Her mouth still open, hand still partially covering it, her eyes turned wide. Wayne grinned, or maybe, he had been grinning from the moment he saw her, he wasn't sure.

"Mornin' sleepyhead." He greeted and Holly flushed as she put her arms behind her back and averted her gaze. Wayne bit his lower lip.

"Morning." She murmured "I, um, had a long night yesterday. That's all." She rocked back and forth on her heels.

"'m sure." His eyes softened when Holly dared to look at him again. Their eyes met and they stood there for how much time? Wayne wasn't sure, but he wouldn't have minded standing there the whole morning. But she had farm work to do and he didn't want to keep her from that. "Don't strain yourself, 'kay?" he said, tipping his hat down. He really didn't want to leave.

"Wayne." Holly called and Wayne's heart thumped at the sound. Holly herself seemed to be surprised at the sound of her own voice. She froze up when he looked back at her. "It's, um," she started thinking (debating?) about what to say "…I won't. Thank you for caring."

He knew he shouldn't have felt so disappointed, but there was this hope when she had called him that maybe she wanted him to stay as well, he tipped his hat again "Anytime." He should have turned again, but his body was lingering on the spot, unwilling to go away.

They both spoke up "I-" they both blinked. Holly smiled sheepishly at him and he gave her a small grin as they both gestured the other to go first.

Holly took a deep breath "It's, well-"

"Crackers?" Wayne offered, interrupting her. He flushed and Holly grinned at him which only caused him to redden even more.

"Yeah, crackers!" she exclaimed, nodding an affirmative while looking unsure what to do with her hands.

Once the idea that Holly had actually accepted his offer, he relaxed, a smile on his face as he looked at the farmer "It's been a while since we did that, huh?"

His calm composure seemed to reach Holly as well. Her tiny shoulders relaxed as she nodded at him "Yeah. Mina's milk got tons better since then! Prepare yourself for a treat." She chuckled and ran up to him with a wide smile.

"Can't wait." He responded as the farmer reached his side, he offered his arm to her and this time instead of chuckling, she flushed and looked unsure. Wayne started regretting his action until she smiled shyly at him and linked her arm with his. His heartbeat skyrocketed.

Holly moved even closer to him, he realized. They walked slowly, both not saying anything and looking away from each other.

"Actually, Mina's barn is this way." Holly suddenly said, pointing at somewhere on their left "I moved the farm a bit."

"Oh, I see." Wayne blinked, returning to reality. He hadn't even realized where he was going "Your farm had gotten a lot bigger, huh."

"Yup!" Holly announced proudly, she looked at Wayne with shining eyes, he really liked that look "Come on, I'll show you."

Wayne chucked at her energy "Lead the way." He said and added after a heartbeat "My lady."

The farmer's mouth dropped a bit as she stared at him; he put the back of his hand over his mouth. Holly gave him a mock bow and beamed "My lord." She said with a light giggle (a giggle!), resting her head on his shoulder for just that brief moment before deciding against it.

Wayne pulled her close again, it was kind of an awkward move as their right arms were still linked together but neither paid too much attention to it, more focused on their closeness. Holly's stiffness soon relaxed as her head got used to Wayne's shoulder and the postman was getting used to the way his heart beat in his chest, he found himself really liking this feeling. He really liked her.

He covered his mouth with the back of his hand.

He really, really liked Holly.


End file.
